Borough Zoners Approve

Office Building Construction

By Andrew Gorosko

The Borough Zoning Commission (BZC) has approved a developer’s proposal to construct a 6,440-square-foot, two-story office building on land near the corner of Church Hill Road and The Boulevard.

Following the conclusion of a September 13 public hearing, BZC members unanimously approved the project sought by developer Raffie Aryeh, representing Serell, LLP.  

The site has a street address of 1 The Boulevard, but vehicle access would be provided via an existing commercial driveway at 33 Church Hill Road, which serves an existing 3,500-square-foot office building used by Connecticut Prudential Realty. A parking lot containing about 50 spaces would be used by people in both office buildings.

Earlier this month, Police Commission members, serving as the local traffic authority, expressed concerns about the additional traffic that a new office building would generate in the congested Church Hill Road area. But after extensive discussion, the Police Commission endorsed the traffic aspects of the project. Commission members, however, decided to review traffic conditions in that area in September 2007.

In endorsing the office building proposal on September 13, BZC members approved a site development plan, a special permit, and a Village District zoning permit.

Voting in favor of the application were BZC members David Francis, Brid Craddock, Lucy Sullivan, and Palmer Chiapetta. Members agreed that the project meets applicable borough zoning regulations.

Mr Aryeh initially had proposed that access to the site be provided via a driveway extending to The Boulevard, but borough officials decided that site access should instead be provided from Church Hill Road.

The approved access point is on the north side of Church Hill Road, lying between that road’s intersection with The Boulevard and with the driveway for Hawley School.

At a July public hearing on the project, architect John Madzula of 20 The Boulevard, representing the applicant, presented architectural plans for the project to the BZC. The two-story office building, which would be capped by a clerestory, would be 39 feet tall. The structure, which would house four offices, would be built in the style of a barn.

“We want to keep this really dignified,” Mr Madzula had said, adding that the building would visually fit in well with the neighborhood. The structure would contain a full basement for storage, as well as an elevator.

In June 2003, the BZC unanimously rejected Church Hill Partners, LLC’s, proposal to build a 35,000-square-foot office building at 37 Church Hill Road, which is on the eastern corner of Church Hill Road and The Boulevard. That project would have had a 154-space parking lot.

Following that rejection, the developer filed a court challenge, but later dropped its lawsuit against the BZC.

One of the prime objections listed by Boulevard residents who opposed the 35,000-square-foot office building was the large amount of traffic it would generate in a congested area. That developer had proposed placing the only entry/exit to that property on the eastern side of The Boulevard.

Since 2003, BZC has revised its regulations, limiting the size of new commercial buildings to 6,500 square feet.